Most of you have probably heard of the Global Entry enrollment interview process. But did you know that instead of scheduling your interview months in advance at a busy airport near you, you can do an interview on arrival? There are over 50 airports in the U.S. and abroad that offer Global Entry enrollment interviews on arrival. The stipulation? You must be conditionally approved and returning from an international trip.
I recently completed my Global Entry interview at the Abu Dhabi preclearance facility at Terminal 3 and thought I’d share some tips that might be helpful if you want to do the same.
Airports where you can do your Global Entry interview on arrival
Below is the complete list of airports where you can do your Global Entry interview upon returning from an international destination:
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
- Abu Dhabi-International Airport (AUH)
- Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI)
- Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF)
- Calgary International Airport (YYC)
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
- Chicago Midway Airport (MDW)
- Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- Denver International Airport (DEN)
- Detroit Metropolitan International Airport (DTW)
- Edmonton International Airport (YEG)
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
- Grand Bahamas International Airport in Freeport (FPO)
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston
- Halifax International Airport (YHZ)
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
- Honolulu International Airport (HNL)
- John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York (JFK)
- John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)
- John Wayne International Airport (SNA) in Orange County
- Kansas City International Airport (MCI)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
- Metropolitan Oakland International Airport (OAK)
- McCarren International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport (MSP)
- Montreal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport (YUL)
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
- Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC)
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB)
- Ottawa International Airport (YOW)
- Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
- Portland International Airport (PDX)
- Sacramento International Airport (SMF)
- Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
- San Antonio International Airport (SAT)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
- San Diego International Airport (SAN)
- St. George’s, Bermuda International Airport (BDA)
- St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)
- Tampa International Airport (TPA)
- Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)
- Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
- Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
- William P. Hobby Airport (HOU)
- Winnipeg James Armstrong international Airport (YWG)
Why interview-on-arrival is the way to go
Global Entry interviews are offered at both international and regional airports within the U.S. The problem with a lot of larger airports (i.e. San Francisco) is that interviews have to be scheduled months in advance. I know someone who flew down to San Diego because it was easier to get an appointment down there and she just didn’t want to wait.
Interview-on-arrival is great for people who don’t live near an airport and want to avoid the inconvenience of traveling to speed up the approval process.
I applied for Global Entry back in March to take advantage of my Citi Prestige Card’s $100 statement credit. I was conditionally approved and just kept putting off the interview because the location wasn’t very convenient. At the time, my only option was to take the day off and drive down to San Francisco for the interview.
I didn’t have any travel plans, so an on-arrival interview was out of the question. When I got an email from CBP announcing Abu Dhabi as an interview location, the timing could not have been more perfect. I was flying Etihad to the Maldives and stopping over in Abu Dhabi on my way home, providing the perfect opportunity to do my Global Entry interview.
U.S. pre-clearance facility in Abu Dhabi
For those who aren’t familiar with Abu Dhabi International Airport, it has a pre-clearance facility in Terminal 3, where you go through U.S. customs. No need to do so when you arrive in the U.S.
Despite getting there early, the Abu Dhabi pre-clearance facility was SUPER packed when I was transiting through. I’m talking hundreds of people and the line wasn’t even moving. Even the crew line was at a stand-still, with over 20 flight attendants nervously watching the clock.
About an hour before boarding, I finally made it to the front. I handed over my passport and after answering a couple of standard questions, I asked the agent if I could do my Global Entry interview.
It was a little risky considering the time constraints, but I always heard the interview only took a couple of minutes, so why not do it now? He consulted with a colleague standing nearby, then told me to follow that guy.
The screening area
We walked about ten steps towards the secondary screening area, which was full of people. That made me nervous. This was on September 10, so you can imagine security was extra tight.
“Will this take long?” I asked the agent.
“No. I’ll hand your stuff over to my colleagues and they’ll get you out of here as soon as possible.”
I sat there for about 10 minutes, getting pretty nervous because all these people were there before me and only one had been called on so far. But I figured since I wasn’t here for secondary screening, they might move me up the line. When I heard my name a few minutes later, I made a beeline for the counter.
The Global Entry interview process
The agent asked me for my passport and travel documents. I handed these over, along with my Real ID driver’s license. This is really important: When you’re doing your Global Entry interview, you have to provide evidence of residency. According to the email I received, the following documents qualify:
- Driver’s license (if the address is current)
- Mortgage statement
- Rental payment statement
- Utility bill
He took my fingerprints and a photo, asked me where I was coming from, what I did for a living and whether the information I provided on the application was still accurate. I confirmed everything.
He then asked me which countries I’d visited in the last 10 years. I had provided this information on the Global Entry application and usually I don’t have to think about it. But going off very little sleep, my mind went completely blank.
I finally got it together and started rattling them off, leaving Asia completely off the map. With the exception of Afghanistan (yes, Afghanistan is technically in Asia). He asked why I traveled there and I told him it was to visit my aunt.
Then he typed some stuff into the computer, sent me back into the waiting area while he walked off towards a back room with my documents. A couple of minutes later, he called me back to the counter, handed me my passport and DL. He informed me that my background check was still pending but that I could leave. “You’ll be approved, assuming you didn’t commit any crimes.”
How long does it take to get approved after your Global Entry interview?
I checked my email after I landed in D.C. and sure enough, my Global Entry application was approved. Based on the email timestamp, it only took about an hour after I left the pre-clearance facility.
The interview process was also pretty quick. I spent about 10 minutes waiting and then another 10 minutes doing the interview, getting fingerprinted and hanging out in the waiting area. The Global Entry welcome packet with card arrived about a week later.
Tips for doing your Global Entry interview on arrival (in Abu Dhabi or elsewhere)
Doing your Global Entry interview on-arrival is incredibly convenient, but there are still a few things you should do ahead of time:
- Get there early. No matter what. Give yourself at least two hours – I know it’s hard because the lounge is so nice and why go to the gate when you can eat sushi? Get out of there at least two hours before your flight, just in case.
- Bring proof of residency. I listed out the documents that you can show as proof of residency. The safest option is your driver’s license or Real ID. Bring it with you.
- Your picture ends up on your card. The aforementioned picture they take of you? It’s not just stored on a computer. It gets printed on your Global Entry card. It’s something to be aware of, in case you don’t want your picture to look like you were tortured at Abu Ghraib before the interview.
Free Global Entry fee credits
If your credit card offers a Global Entry fee credit, the process of claiming it is super easy. Just apply for Global Entry and pay the application fee with your credit card. You’ll usually receive a statement credit a couple of days after the transaction posts. Most credit cards re-issue this credit every four years, though you’ll want to read the fine print on your specific card.
I’m glad I finally got it over with, because the Global Entry interview has been on my to-do list for months. The prospect of driving down to San Francisco and timing the whole thing to avoid traffic was not something I looked forward to. Now, I’m all set for the next four years!
i have cycled though this twice, some people get an automatic renewal while others dont, i had to do it again after 5 years and did it coming back from Asia to Honolulu.as you said if you have a connecting flight it might get tight.
But a word of warning, they asked you if you have ever been arrested, if you have for anything at any time in your life say yes, you then will be asked when and for what and what was the out come. I had arrests back in 1967, no convictions and before computers, they had all that information in front of them. It was no problem I got approved both times but I have friends who either didnt remember or thought because they had their records cleared they were good, not so, they look at not remembering as not telling the truth.
You are a criminal though. Weren’t you arrested a few years ago in Walmart by Federal Agents? Your seriously like the biggest idiot and you don’t even travel much like the rest of us
You hallucinated that scenario when hitting the crack pipe too hard. Yeah, stepping out of mom’s roach-infested basement on occasion has made you a more evolved being than all of us.
Thank you for the interesting information and helpful tips!
My husband and I will be doing some international travel in the fall so the final interview in the UAE might be a great option. We’ll be flying from the US into Dubai, and then flying out of Abu Dubai. Since the interview process is only available in Abu Dubai, do you think it would be still be possible to do prior to our boarding?
Hope that makes sense:=)
hi! could i hear about your experience? we will be flying in and out of Dubai, but wondering whether we can do a day trip to Anu Dhabi to get this done? Thank you!